Sebastian Vettel, so graceful in his handling of defeat by Lewis Hamilton in this year’s drivers’ title race, on Monday began serious reflections on his and Ferrari’s disappointing season and a harsh self-examination.

The four-time champion German, whose Ferrari car was often the fastest on the grid, conceded he had to look at himself first and the team secondly after he had finished second behind new five-time champion Hamilton in Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“I don’t think I ever have any problems raising my hand if I made a mistake,” he said, conceding that in 2018 he had made a few. “I have to look at myself first.”

In a spectacular season that saw the title race ebb and flow as Ferrari and Mercedes battled for supremacy before an exceptional purple patch from Hamilton secured both titles for the Silver Arrows, Vettel was, he admitted fallible.

“Knowing as well, as a racing driver, how quickly things can go wrong, how quickly things could have gone differently this year, I think I have to review a couple of things,” he said.

An Indian court has sentenced a former politician to life in prison for inciting anti-Sikh violence in riots after the 1984 assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi which claimed thousands of lives.

More than 300 women have accused Brazilian faith healer João Teixeira de Faria of sexually abusing them, according to Brazil's state media agency, citing the Department of Public Ministry of the state of Goiás.